TRAITS

THE TILES
 The standard domino game comprises 28 tiles.
Each tile contains 2 numbers, one at each end. The numbers run from 0
to 6. Each of the 28 tiles has a different combination of the numbers 0 to
6. The game is played by connecting tiles at their ends with the same
number.
 Traits is different from dominoes in the following way:
o Human traits (positive ones) are used instead of numbers.
o There are 5 different traits instead of 7 different numbers from 0 to
6.
o The 2 traits in each tile are placed on opposite faces of the tile
instead of at each end.
o There are a total of 15 tiles instead of the 28 tiles.
o The 2 traits in each tile are different, unlike the dominoes where
they have doubles – eg double blanks (0), double four, etc.
 The 5 different traits used are: Confident, Joyful, Humble, Honest, and
Hopeful. The 15 tiles consist of:
o 10 tiles depicting all the 10 possible ways the 5 traits are paired
together.
o 5 tiles, each a duplicate of one of the 10 tiles.
 The 15 tiles have:
o 6 each of the 5 different traits
o 3 pairs of each design

THE RULES
 Stack each tile with the same trait face to face. Do this until all the tiles are
used up.
 When you are stuck before all the tiles are used up, carry out one of the
following 2 actions:
o Turn the entire stack over and continue stacking with the different
trait there.
o If both the traits at the top as well as at the bottom of the stack are
the same, move one of them to the other end and continue doing so
until the new trait can take in the remaining of the tiles.

MYSTIC STACKING (IN 3 PHASES)

Phase 1

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 Invite a spectator to stack the tiles. When she has done so, you bring her
attention to an envelope on the table all the time. Inside the envelope is a
prediction of the exact trait on top and on the bottom of the stacked pile of
tiles. The chance of this happening is 1:20.
 Method – Before the performance, secretly take away one of the tiles. The
traits on the face and back of this tile is your prediction. The effect works
automatically.
Phase 2
 Say to the spectator you want to carry the experiment a little further.
Openly, you take one of the tiles and keep it out of sight. You then write a
prediction on a piece of paper, fold it and keep it on the table.
 The spectator stacks the tiles. Once again, you are able to predict the
actual traits at the top and bottom of the stacked pile. The chance of both
this and the first prediction occurring is 1:400!
 Method – Openly take away a tile that has either one of the traits of your
secret tile. For example, if the secret tile you took before the performance
was Humble/Joyful, take away any tile that has Humble or Joyful. When
you take away this tile, secretly glimpse the trait on the other side. Let us
assume you take away the Joyful tile, and on the other side is Confident.
The Joyful of this tile and the Joyful of your secret tile will “cancel” each
other out. So your new prediction is the other 2 traits, ie Humble and
Confident.
Phase 3
 You take yet another tile. You make a fresh prediction. The spectator
stacks the tiles and arrives at a duplicate trait at both the top and bottom of
the stack. You have exactly predicted that.
 Method – This time, take the tile comprising your last prediction. In our
example, it will be the Humble/Confident tile. You can do this without
drawing undue suspicion by:
o Looking out for this tile during Phase 2.
o Pretend to turn over a few tiles as though you cannot make up your
mind, and finally decide on the actual tile.

CHOICE OR FATE (VERSION 1)

 An instruction card as well as a prediction envelope are placed on the
table, the written side of the instruction card is face downwards on the
table.
 5 tiles with different traits are placed in a row on the table as follows:
Honest Confident Humble Hopeful Joyful
 A spectator helps you. The instruction card is turned over. She follows
the instructions and finally lands on the “Humble” tile.
 The prediction is withdrawn from the envelope and it predicts the “Humble”
tile. This outcome is dependent on her various choices made.
 The other 4 tiles are turned over – they all have “Humble” on the other
side! This is indeed fate, not choice!
 Method – Prepare the following printed instructions:
o Choose any trait you wish. Beginning with this tile, spell out the
letters of this trait by moving to an adjacent tile for each letter you

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 spell, either left or right – the choice is up to you – except when you
are at the end of the row, you can only move inwards.
o Eliminate both tiles at each end of the row.
o Spell to the trait of your new tile.
o Move one more step to an adjacent tile.
o Refer to the prediction on this tile.
 Decide on your force trait. This trait must contain an even number of
letters. There are 3 tiles that have even letters word. They are: Honest,
Humble and Joyful. In this example, we use “Humble”. Write Humble as
the prediction and insert it into an envelope.
 There are 6 tiles of each trait. Choose the 4 that have the other 4 traits on
their backs. If Humble is your force trait, then choose the 4 tiles that
contain these on their backs: Confident, Joyful, Hopeful and Honest.
There will be 2 Humble tiles left over. Choose either one of them. Arrange
this tile as the centre tile. The spectator will end up on this tile. The other
tiles are arranged such that the odd letter traits occupy the even positions
and the even letter traits the odd positions. For example:
Honest Confident Humble Hopeful Joyful
 The effect works by itself.

CHOICE OR FATE (VERSION 2)

 This is an extension of Version 1. Instead of placing the 5 different tiles in
a row, place them in the form of a 3 x 3 square. In this case, the choice of
movement is not only left or right, but also up or down. It opens up more
choices for the spectator to move. Once again, the odd positions are
occupied by the even lettered tiles and the even positions are occupied by
the odd lettered tiles. An example can be:

Honest Hopeful Joyful

Confident Joyful Hopeful

Humble Confident Honest

 The printed instructions will be:

o Choose any trait you wish. Beginning with this tile, spell out the
letters of this trait by moving to an adjacent tile for each letter you
spell, either left or right, or up or down – the choice is entirely up to
you – except when you are at the outermost positions of the square,
you can only move inwards.
o Eliminate the 4 tiles at each corner of the square.
o Spell to the trait of your new tile.
o Move one more step to an adjacent tile.
o Refer to the prediction on this tile.
 The spectator will land on the centre tile. In this case, it is the “Joyful” tile.
Once again make this your prediction and put it inside an envelope.

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 Unlike Version 1, you cannot turn over all the other 8 tiles and have the
predicted trait on all their backs. Your patter on fate will only refer to the
prediction in the envelope.

DESIRE AND DESTINY

 Only 10 tiles are used. They are divided into 2 stacks of 5 tiles each. A
spectator takes up either stack. The other stack belongs to you. Your
business card has the following statement on the other side: “YOUR
DESTINY CONTROLS YOU”.
 The spectator spells to each word in the statement, transferring one tile
from the top of the stack to the bottom for each letter spelt. She can
decide to transfer the tile with your stack or from her own stack of tiles.
She can even have a combination using both stacks in spelling out the
letters of each word.
 At the end of each word spelt, the top tiles of each stack are placed aside.
By the end of spelling the word “YOU”, there are 5 pairs of tiles on the
table, one belonging to your stack and the other one from the spectator’s
stack.
 At this stage, there may be one out of the 5 pairs that match. It is the
desire of the spectator to have as many pairs matched as possible.
 You turn over the tiles to show their backs. Each of the 5 pairs now match
perfectly! This is destiny as explained by the statement on your business
card!
 Method – Secretly set up the 10 tiles in a cyclic order. Turn over the entire
stack so that the other side shows. The tiles now appear to be in a mixed
order. On the back of your business card, write “YOUR DESTINY
CONTROLS YOU”.
 Let a spectator cut the stack of 10 tiles as many times as she likes. When
she is done, divide the entire stack into 2 equal piles by counting the top 5
tiles one at a time onto the table to form a pile. This reverses the order of
this pile. The remaining 5 tiles form another pile. The spectator takes
either pile, and the other pile belongs to you.
 Beginning with the word YOUR, the spectator transfers tiles either from her
or your pile to spell YOUR. At the end of the spelling, the top tile of each
pile are placed aside.
 This continues until she spells to the last word YOU. There are now 5
pairs of tiles on the table. There may or may not be any pair that matches.
 Finally, turn over all the tiles and show that each of the 5 pairs of tiles now
match!

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